Is the Maverick worth it? Aligning expectations.

[Meintc]

Well, yeah. I'd imagine the vast majority of Escape owners would say the same. Including me, up to now. This is my 3rd Escape and it's the the first one I've owned with paint problems, the previous ones just had electrical gremlins. At least paint is a straightforward, one time fix!

The paint problems also seem to be pretty color specific. They were with the 2017 Escapes (only blue and white were affected) and same with all the Maverick paint problems I've seen, they seem to primarily only be a handful of colors, too. Of course, Cactus Grey, which I've ordered, seems to be the primary offender.

No skin off my rear though, I only plan to own the Mav (fingers crossed) for 3 years, so all of these issues would be covered under the base warranty anyway.

Maybe I just had the right year. 2016 and 2018. Both blue.

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[Tbolt]

It’s funny to me to hear GM lauded for their paint quality. I used to have a firebird that the paint practically washed off when it rained. My 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan in blue is flaking paint off too, so I don’t see this being a problem with any particular manufacturer but more modern paints/bad runs/luck of the draw. Most will probably be fine.

I’m still paying the same for a brand new fully loaded Mav that I did in 2016 for a 2012 Lariat F150 that was out of warranty. To me there’s not really an ‘expensive’ version of this truck, as long as you are getting it for MSRP without a crazy markup.

 

[Area51BS]

Paint has always been a sore spot for me and Fords. They really need to figure out what GM is doing and how to replicate that because the paint on the Silverado was some of the best paint I’ve ever had on a vehicle. Compare that to my wifes’s Bronco sport or my last mustang, where the paint just seems to rub off.

What was that thing in your hand when starting it?

Paint came off both front fenders and edge of hood in same place both sides of my gen 2 Colorado.

 

[Mav2Scamp]

I don't really disagree with any of that but it's also basically the same thing the other poster said that you were replying to/taking exception with.

As for that Honda, those are nice lil cars, I've almost went with one the last few times I've bought an Escape. For what's it worth, as annoying as thin metals are, I'll take them over the piss poor metal prep/paint job that me and many other 2017 Escape owners got with our Kentucky built Escapes. Ford's paint certainly isn't always tough, it's definitely one of my largest Maverick-concerns.
40k miles, no accidents, well maintained:

Your point noted and concerns well received.

 

[Decayed]

It's definitely worth it. Ford is making exactly what I've been wishing for since my 1980 toyota pickup died - a 4 door AWD compact pickup. In fact, I'm kind of hoping toyota dusts off the plans for those things, slaps on a turbo and starts cranking them out again, for nostalgia's sake.

Truth be told, the fact that the mav is a unibody and is basically a car with a bed is one of it's most appealing features. Daily driving a body on frame truck isn't as comfortable. With the power, handling, comfort and convenience features the mav is striking the perfect balance while still being about twice as efficient as my old toyota. Best of all worlds at an affordable price point.

 

[Ron Neal]

I think its worth the money since it ticks more boxes than anything else on the market right now but wish they offered the Mav in an old school regular cab 2 door but doubt that will ever happen.

 

[Mikknj]

Yes - a great option for me. I have been waiting for a smaller truck for the city. I waited 30 years for a FWD truck ( as I don't live in heavy snow region nore mountain region) I waited years for a hybrid that has millions of miles of engineering behind it. I waited decades for the CVT to be redesigned into an eCVT that will last 500k miles. This truck was built for ME! I have high hopes. This is the ride I would have engineered from the start. And I'd even pay more to get it than the 30k price I expect will be the bottom line.

 

[Larrythelunatic]

It's definitely worth it. Ford is making exactly what I've been wishing for since my 1980 toyota pickup died - a 4 door AWD compact pickup. In fact, I'm kind of hoping toyota dusts off the plans for those things, slaps on a turbo and starts cranking them out again, for nostalgia's sake.

Truth be told, the fact that the mav is a unibody and is basically a car with a bed is one of it's most appealing features. Daily driving a body on frame truck isn't as comfortable. With the power, handling, comfort and convenience features the mav is striking the perfect balance while still being about twice as efficient as my old toyota. Best of all worlds at an affordable price point.

Amen to that!
Only make it a stick!
When (if) my Mav shows up, I’ll post shots of my ‘92 reg cab Toyota PU, alongside the Mav. I suspect that they will be close to identical in dimensions, other than bed length. I also suspect that they will handle similarly. One of the first things that I did, back in ‘92, was jump into the JC catalog, and, among other things, put on a large sway bar, better shocks, tires and alumies saved from my ‘85 centerfold truck. Body-on-frame, those improvements, I believe, brought that truck up to where the unibody Mav already is.

 

[Arukoru]

Yes, to me, my Maverick represents an excellent value.

That said, as I get to know my trucklette more I see where Ford needed ensure they kept the reasonable price point.

The materials used in the interior are definitely a step down from the F150 I sold. And that’s ok, this isn’t a complaint, it’s a message to you as you get your Maverick delivered in the interest of being real. I’ve zero regrets and yes, it is worth the wait. For $30,650 I feel like I got one hell of a deal.

I open the doors from the inside gingerly being afraid I might rip them out. They feel very light. Every knob feels light and lacking substance.

Several of the exterior plastics have seams that don’t align perfectly. Close, but not 100%.

I hope you enjoy your Mavericks as they’re delivered to you!

I think unless you are really married to the hybrid model you should probably just get the Santa Cruz once you get the maverick build past 30k. I think the maverick is an excellent and smart value vehicle and should be treated as a value vehicle. The Santa Cruz on the other hand has way more aggressive and interesting styling regardless of whether you like it or not, a far superior interior and better equipment once you get into the 30s.

Ultimately can you sit in a Mav and say yeah this car is worth $33k? I don't think so personally. I drove the Santa Cruz and it is an obvious step up. I personally am invested in getting the hybrid model but I wanted some creature comforts and got the Lariat. I really want the lux package and it includes a ton of stuff I really want but pushing past $30k enters it into another territory in my opinion. No amount of options is going to turn the car into a 30k car, I have a ~25k car with some comforts and that's okay.

I think the XLT is an obvious giant value, the Lariat base model is decent value but personally I think the XL isn't terribly good value, it is missing enough things that 3k can remedy and be worthwhile. The fact that it exists though gets this truck into your head as a "$20k" car.

 

[Tbolt]

I think unless you are really married to the hybrid model you should probably just get the Santa Cruz once you get the maverick build past 30k. I think the maverick is an excellent and smart value vehicle and should be treated as a value vehicle. The Santa Cruz on the other hand has way more aggressive and interesting styling regardless of whether you like it or not, a far superior interior and better equipment once you get into the 30s.

Ultimately can you sit in a Mav and say yeah this car is worth $33k? I don't think so personally. I drove the Santa Cruz and it is an obvious step up. I personally am invested in getting the hybrid model but I wanted some creature comforts and got the Lariat. I really want the lux package and it includes a ton of stuff I really want but pushing past $30k enters it into another territory in my opinion. No amount of options is going to turn the car into a 30k car, I have a ~25k car with some comforts and that's okay.

I think the XLT is an obvious giant value, the Lariat base model is decent value but personally I think the XL isn't terribly good value, it is missing enough things that 3k can remedy and be worthwhile. The fact that it exists though gets this truck into your head as a "$20k" car.

So you should buy the Santa Cruz if going past 30k whether you”like it or not.”

LOL, ok with that logic.

The cab is more refined. There’s not a chance I’d ever buy one though.

But enjoy your Hyundai.

 

[MattIngram]

Well, yeah. I'd imagine the vast majority of Escape owners would say the same. Including me, up to now. This is my 3rd Escape and it's the the first one I've owned with paint problems, the previous ones just had electrical gremlins. At least paint is a straightforward, one time fix!

The paint problems also seem to be pretty color specific. They were with the 2017 Escapes (only blue and white were affected) and same with all the Maverick paint problems I've seen, they seem to primarily only be a handful of colors, too. Of course, Cactus Grey, which I've ordered, seems to be the primary offender.

No skin off my rear though, I only plan to own the Mav (fingers crossed) for 3 years, so all of these issues would be covered under the base warranty anyway.

We had an Edge with those gremlins. We Let the dealership “find” us the vehicle we wanted and the other dealership probably let it go because of the problems. It stopped/lost power on my wife in a busy intersection, threw every code in the book. But wife was able to restart it and drive it home. I raised heck with the dealership, luckily it was still under warranty. It took days to diagnose, dealership owner escalated to the Ford Engineers and saved what would have been thousands of dollars if not covered by the warranty to figure out there were faulty pin connectors in the wiring harness, I think they said.

Don’t let any of what I shared discourage anyone b/c all vehicles, regardless of where they are made will have some level of defects. And besides the paint and rare occurrence of a defective part, a Ford vehicle runs, drives and handles incredibly well, protects occupants in case of accident but you do need to keep up on your maintenance. In the highly unlikely event that something serious happens to you, its best to push hard and not accept the unable to replicate bs. The new Ford CEO talks about trying to hold part manufacturers accountable on the earnings calls to investors but from the perspective of controlling the high costs of warranty repairs. As a frequent Ford buyer, and an small fry investor, I watch those things carefully to make sure they handle warranty items in a positive/brand building way.

 

[Arukoru]

So you should buy the Santa Cruz if going past 30k whether you”like it or not.”

LOL, ok with that logic.

The cab is more refined. There’s not a chance I’d ever buy one though.

But enjoy your Hyundai.

You made fun of the logic but then agreed it has a more refined cab. From everything I've heard/read/watched the Santa Cruz is a much better driver than the Mav, but it costs more too so it should be better.

No need to be salty about Hyundai attacking a different market segment, you should be able to look at things objectively even if it is something you like or dislike. What I was saying is that the Santa Cruz is a 30's vehicle and the Mav is not, the styling is polarizing so while I think the Santa Cruz looks much nicer than the Maverick, it is different and I don't expect everyone to agree.

 

[GaryHoosier]

Lol… expectation: Perspective #1 Last pickup truck had no carpet, am push button radio, bench seat, floor shift, crank windows, what’s a cup holder, 100hp for what adjusted to today’s dollars was about what I just paid for a Maverick.
Perspective #2 I was driving a cr-v and was happy with it. I planned on getting another. For the same price point would I rather the versatility of the maverick or the niceties of the cr-v. Each person has to make their own balance sheet on this.

CR-V's are the ultimate 'Chick-Car'...err, 'Appliance'.
The Rom-Com of motor vehicles.
If you doubt me, just pay attention to who you mostly see driving them.
'Not saying they're bad, only that they appeal to a certain demographic.

It's interesting therefore that roughly 25% of Maverick buyers are female.
Women, not chicks.

 

[DryHeat]

Like most folks here, I decided to buy a Maverick because I thought it wouldn't be worth it.

 

[Arukoru]

CR-V's are the ultimate 'Chick-Car'...err, 'Appliance'.
The Rom-Com of motor vehicles.
If you doubt me, just pay attention to who you mostly see driving them.
'Not saying they're bad, only that they appeal to a certain demographic.

It's interesting therefore that roughly 25% of Maverick buyers are female.
Women, not chicks.

If the 70s and 90s were any lesson, it is that the influx of "smart" and "value" designs rather than "budget" and "spartan" is a big improvement. I think aiming the vehicle at women has made for a better vehicle, if you're making a guy's budget truck you're probably going to make it 4x4 standard instead of 42mpg standard if you catch my drift.

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